Kitten In The Host Club 2: Grown Up
by KylanLovesHeIsWe
Summary: Zero-chan is back and better than ever. After his little heart break, our adorable young man went to follow his dream in the United Kingdom. What happens when his band tours back to Japan and a certain Host Club has back stage passes to his concert?
1. Character Profile

Name: Zero Akamaru

Gender: Male

Species: Neko

Age: 20

Birth date: June 12

Blood Type : AB

Siblings : None

Parents : Tao Akamaru and Delilah Akamaru, both deceased

Height: 5'3

Weight: 123 lbs

Glasses or Contacts : Contacts on stage, glasses at home

Style : Sexy, stylish

Likes : Eating cake, baking, reading, sleeping, singing, writing, acting, playing pranks, being on stage, meeting fans

Dislikes : Waking up early, studying, fancy places, screaming girls, girls in general, distant people, stalkers

Personality : Blushes easily, straight forward, doesn't curse unless very angry, loves art, he's changed a lot since his Ouran days.

Educational Background: Went to a commoner middle school before getting a musical scholarship to Ouran. Not very book smart. Left Ouran before he could finish his scholarship

Background: After his heart break, Zero-chan moved to the United Kingdom. He lived on the streets for the first few months before he joined a band called BlackOut. The band took off quickly and they now play all over the world.


	2. Almost Reunited

~3rd Person POV~

"Ah, Zero-chan.. Stop.." the boy smiled. His pleas had gone unheard for some time now and he didn't seem to mind. He ran his fingers through Zero-chan's dark locks. He loved this side of Zero. He loved how affectionate he was before a performance, how he smelled, how he gripped the hem of shirt, how he left butterfly kisses on his neck. He loved it.

He loved Zero.

Kuro and Zero had been dating for about a year now and it was the best year of his life. He knew everything about Zero from the tip of his adorable ears to the soles of his feet. He knew about the life he had at Ouran; about the host club he was apart of, about his cross-dressing friend, the devil twins, the unruly king, his older baby brother, his taller older brother, the bastard, the debt, the bet, the fake marriage, the amazing honeymoon. He knew it all and loved Zero even more.

He rubbed Zero's back before pulling him close. "Show time is in ten minutes. I don't want you leaving marks." he laughed as Zero kissed his chest. "We need to go get ready." a whine from Zero had him chuckling. He was in love with this boy.

It didn't take long for them to get ready. Zero removed his glasses and put in his contacts while Kuro held his hips. The rest of the band got ready and Kuro watched them through the mirror. Zero hummed a song and smiled. He was clearly excited.

He loved performing.

He loved seeing the faces of his fans.

He loved meeting his fans even more.

He didn't do this for the money or the fame. He just wanted to help people. That's Zero for you. He loved hearing the stories of people who heard his music and stopped marking their skin, the people who heard his voice and thought it was an angel, the people who heard his lyrics and realized they weren't alone.

He responded to every letter, every tweet, every message. He was amazing with them.

Kuro watched his boyfriend as he played on stage. People say that once you get on stage you become a different person. Kuro didn't believe that one bit. Zero was still the same hyperactive, music loving, crowd jumping, soul searching lead singer.

"Okay guys, I hate to say this but it's the end of the night." Zero frowned along with most of the crowd, followed by a lot of disappointed groans. "How about we end off with a good song? It's a little sad though, I hope you don't mind." Zero took a seat at the keyboard that was on the stage. A small smile found a way to his face as the rest of the band cleared off the stage.

Kuro watched him as he played Say Something, I'm Giving Up On You. It was one of the bands best hits, one Zero played flawlessly everytime, one that meant a lot to Zero. He put so much raw emotion into it that you couldn't help but love it. He was simply amazing.

After the song he stood up and took a bow, apologizing for leaving so soon even though the concert had gone on an hour longer than it was supposed to. The band signed a few thing before heading to the back.

Tonight they had a few V.I.P people with backstage passes. Zero was the most excited. He enjoyed his fans more than anyone in the band.

Kuro held Zero's hand as they walked to the green room, only for Zero to stop. He glanced at Zero and then back at the group.

"H.. Haruhi..?"


	3. Be CALM

~3rd Person POV~

The room went silent as Zero walked over to the girl. Her face was red as she untangled herself from the red head she was with. A smile broke out on Zero's face as he hugged her. He hadn't been this excited since the beginning of the concert.

"Zero-chan!"Haruhi was glad she came. She wasn't too sure about it when the twins stopped by her house with the rest of the club. She was actually thinking of plenty of excuses while getting ready. But none seemed to work.

When she realized she was going to see BlackOut, she stopped complaining. It seemed like none of the ex-hosts realized who they were going to see. 'I guess he's changed a lot' she thought, taking in his looks.

About an inch taller, still shorter than every one. He looked, how to put this without sounding weird, gorgeous. He was absolutley handsome and she could see why he was part of the host club. He wasn't simply adorable anymore.

She hugged him tightly. She had missed him over the years

"I'm glad we got these passes." Haruhi laughed, stepping back toward her boyfriend. "Ha, me too. I'm so happy to see you guys again!" Zero held Kuro's hand, smiling at the rest of the club.

Kuro sat down, pulling Zero into his lap as the rest of the club sat around them. "You've gotten really good Ze-chan!" Honey said as he grabbed a snack cake off the table. "And you, Honey-sempai, have gotten really tall.." he sweat-dropped. Honey was no longer the boy-lolita. He was taller than Tamaki. Honey laughed and nodded.

The devilish twins walked around Kuro and Zero like volchers. Zero couldn't help but think back to the time they snatched his hat, revealing his ears. A little laugh escaped his lips before the twins could glomp him. They both rubbed their cheeks against his, telling him to never leave again and how happy they were he was back.

Mori-sempai picked up the twins by the back of their shirts and smiled at Zero. He missed Zero more than anything in the world. "Welcome back, Zero-chan." he patted him on the head and was surprised when Zero hugged his waist. After a few seconds he let go and looked up at Mori, a smile present on his face. "I think I missed you most of all!" he giggled. 'It's great to see you smiling again. A real smile.' he thought as he sat down.

"Look mommy! Our baby boy has grown up so fast!" Tamaki swung Zero around, babbling on about how proud he was of his baby and how amazed he was at his playing skills. Zero just patted his back and smiled, assuring his daddy that he had grown up wonderfully thanks to his parenting.

"I see that, Daddy." said none other than the Ootori boy. When Zero was finally released from Tamaki's grasp, he hugged the Ootori and smiled at him. They hadn't talked in a while.

The last the Ootori boy heard from him was the letter.

"Ahem.." Kuro stood up,grabbing Zero's waist. "Kuro-kun! Look, this is the club I told you about!" Zero was excited as he introduced everyone. Kuro shook everyone's hand.

Until he got to the Ootori.

"Ootori Kyoya, the bastard in the flesh." he growled, lightly pushing Zero behind him. "You're the dick who broke his heart, huh? Do you know what he was like when we found him!? How broken he was!?" he screamed.

People were staring at him, wondering what made the normally calm guitar player scream like that at what seemed to be a fan.

Zero grabbed his arm, tugging him back. "Kuro-kun, calm down. It's fine now. I'm over it." Kuro pulled his arm away and cocked his fist back.

No one could stop him before he punched the Ootori, straight in the face.


	4. Conversations

~3rd Person POV~

The room remained quiet for a second after Kyoya took the punch. Every one was surprised when he just bent over and got his glasses from the floor. He didn't move to strike back or anything. He just took it.

Zero rushed over to him, worried about what his love had done. "Kuro-kun! These are our fans and my friends. You can't just go around hitting them!" he glared. He couldn't believe it. Kuro had talked about punching the kid, but Zero always laughed it off. It was never something he had to worried about.

After checking on the Ootori, the rest of the club and the band sat down and talked.

Mainly about Zero.

"So, what about the rest of you? Are you all close to my boy as well?" Tamaki asked, smiling at the small group in front of him. Aiko, the drummer, was the first to speak. Running skilled fingers through his dark locks, he locked eyes with the 'daddy' of the host club.

"I guess you could say that. He's a great leader. " he shrugged, keeping his eyes on the blond. Next was Bradley. He had taken a seat next to Mori and was enjoying the view. "Yeah, Zero is really great. How tall are you..?" he pointed at Mori, who just stared at him. "6'5.." Bradley's face was priceless. "I.. I didn't know people could get that tall.." he stuttered, looking to the ground.

Then December responded, finally taking his eyes off of his guitar. "He's a pretty good kid. Nothing too special." a smirk on his face. Zero started to yell, claiming he was the most special person in the world causing everyone to laugh at his expense.

Last to speak was Kuro, a smile on his face as he held Zero in his lap. "You guys already know how amazing he is. I mean, you went to school with him. I wish I had known him back then." he placed a light kiss on Zero's neck, loving the blush that grew on his cheeks. "I'm lucky to know have him now." he mentioned a little too loudly.

"What do you mean? Did other bands want him?" Haruhi asked, discreetly leaning against Kaoru.

The room once again grew quiet. Everyone looked to Zero and Kuro for an answer, excluding the other band members who made excuses to leave the room.

"Zero tried to commit suicide his first week here. I met him in the hospital, found out he could sing, and invited him to join our band." he rubbed Zero's leg, trying to get him to relax.

Zero hadn't told a lot of people about that. He didn't like admitting it. He didn't like admitting that he had let life beat him down to the point he thought he didn't matter.

Then he met Kuro.

Kuro was his light in an otherwise dark world.

A few seconds went by after Kuro told them. Surprisingly, Hikaru was the first to apologize, automatically thinking back to the bet. That was then followed by the rest of the club pouring out apologies that Zero only shook his head at.

"I appreciate it. Really, I do. But stop apologizing." as he laughed, Kuro noticed how Zero gripped his hand. "So, where are you guys staying at?" Kuro successfully changed the subject. Honey-sempai started to talk about the hotel they were staying in. He was excited because it had an all night snack bar. Kuro nodded and smiled, they were in the same hotel.

Seeing how they were rich, he figured they would have gotten a suite.

They were on the same floor..

And there are only so many suites in that hotel. About six.

They were going to be neighbors.

As Kuro connected the few dots he had come up with, Zero had taken to talking to Haruhi, catching up and other things girls do.

Kuro watched as he talked with her, a smile clear in his eyes. His eventually shifted over to the Ootori only to see that he was being watched. He silently raised a well groomed eyebrow to the boy, cocking his head to the hallway. The silent child nodded and they both excused themselves from the others.

"Hey! Kuro-kun! No more fighting! If either of you come back in here bruised I will truly consider kicking your firm butt!" Zero shouted, pointing at him while he looked at Haruhi's necklace.

"No bruises, got it." he chuckled as he followed the Ootori out into the hall.

Once the door was closed, Kuro felt his back hit the wall. He smiled at the boy who had a grip on his neck.

"You never said anything about him trying to commit suicide, Kuro!" Kyoya growled. He was furious. "I'm not paying you to keep secrets! You're keeping an eye on him! Keeping him safe for God's sake! And you let that happen!?"

"Look, Kyoya. If I had known what he was going to do, I would've intervened earlier. I didn't even know he was in the hospital until the nurse had called me." Kuro explained, pushing his cousin away slightly. "Now calm down. I promised him no bruises." he brushed his shirt off and smiled. "Let's go back inside. We can continue this conversation later."


	5. Devastated

Back at the hotel, Kuro and Kyoya sat down in the lobby. Each Ootori carrying a hot beverage and taking a seat across from each other. It was all Kyoya could do not to strangle his cousin. It was late in the night, everyone else was asleep.

Kyoya sighed as he looked to his cousin, a frown clear on his face. He held so much distaste for the boy at that moment. How could he forget to put something so important in his reports? He could put how much pocky that boy ate in a day, how many times he burnt the ramen in a week, but he couldn't put that his lover had tried to commit suicide?

"Care to tell me how that little bit of information didn't make it?" Kuro smiled wide, chuckling at his cousin. "If I told you, I wouldn't have been able to spend time with him." Kyoya sweat-dropped. "Is there anything else that's missing?"

Kuro looked towards the window. He had dreaded this moment. "I think we should tell him what's been going on.." Kuro took a sip of his drink as Kyoya starred at him. He didn't think it was too much to ask. It was time for Zero to know. How long could they keep this from him? Now with Kyoya back, it didn't seem right.

"We'll keep it up for as long as I'm paying you." Kyoya took a drink. He was paying him well. Not just him, but the whole band. He booked the gigs, he booked the hotel rooms, he took care of that band. Why would they want to give that up?

"I can't do that, Kyoya. Aiko is getting restless. He didn't think he'd have to share me for this long." he looked at his cousin. "Your lover knew what was going on when you two decided to join. I gave you both the option.. Are you sure it's him who can't handle the sharing?" Kyoya smirked slightly as Kuro looked away.

"You're falling for him.." Kyoya stated, his smirk faltering. "And what if I am, huh?" Kuro huffed, crossing his arms childishly. "Besides, instead of worrying about what's going on with me, you need to figure out a way to get this under control. We won't do this for much longer. Either you tell him, or I will." And with that, Kuro got up from the table and left.

Kyoya sat there for a while, thinking. How could he tell Zero this was another lie?

~Kuro's POV~

I walked back to the hotel, Zero on my mind. This would be the end for sure. I sighed. I opened the door to Aiko's room and laid across it. "Did you tell him?" he asked, rubbing my back. "Yeah.. He said we'll do it as long as he's paying us to do it. And we can't just give it up. We're finally famous, Ai.. This won't happen again.." I frowned, burying my face.

"I don't want to keep doing this! I don't like sharing you, Kuro! I won't do it anymore!" he stood, storming to the door. "Aiko, calm down.." I followed, watching him make his way to each band members room before getting to Zero's. I watched as he threw the door open.

"Aiko stop this!" December started, grabbing him by the arm. "No! I'm tired of this!" "What's going on guys..?" Zero sat up, looking at everyone. Man, is he adorable or what? I smiled slightly before remembering what was really going on.

"Um.. Zero.." Aiko interrupted, grabbing Zero out of the bed. "We're done with this charade, Zero. We won't take the money anymore." Zero sat there, dumbfounded. "What charade..? What money..? If you guys want more you can have my share." he started, reaching for his wallet.

With all the commotion the host club burst into the room, Mori ripping Zero away from Aiko's grasp. The room went silent as Aiko grew angrier.

"I won't do this anymore! I'm tired of sharing my husband with him. Kuro, I love you. I do. But I can't. I won't play second place in your life to money or him! You said this would only a few months! That you would only love me! That this was for the money so we could live freely!" he sobbed. "But I see it! I see the way you look at him! That's the same way you looked at me when we first met! When you asked me to marry you! At our wedding and honeymoon! I can't do this anymore! You need to choose!"

The room remained quiet, the only noise being Aiko's cries. "Um.. I'm sorry.. You guys are married..?" Zero asked, looking from Aiko to me. "I don't mean to sound crazy or anything, but someone needs to tell me what's going on before I lose my mind.."

"We didn't meet in the hospital, Zero.. I've known you since you left Japan." I sighed, running my fingers through my hair. "Kyoya is my cousin. He paid me to keep an eye on you while you were here in the states. When you were in the hospital I realized you could sing and asked you to join our band so I could keep a better eye on you and still work with the band. Aiko and I had already been married for three years when I met you. I went to Kyoya and told him you were in my band and you wanted it to take off. He made it happen. He's the reason we had so many gigs and things before I could go to my mother and get her record label to sign us." I looked down, no longer being able to hold eye contact with the shocked room.

"Everyone seemed to notice how well you were taking to me and decided it would be best for us to get into a relationship and, with Aiko's approval, we did. I eventually clued the rest of the band in, promising them extra money not to tell you. And they didn't." I finished, looking back at Zero.

"Was anything you told me true, Kuro..?" he started, trying to get away from Mori's grasp. "Did you mean anything you said or was that all a lie too!? Did he feed you those lines!? What about the songs you wrote about me!? What about the nights we spent together Kuro!? What the actual fuck!?" he screamed, finally getting away from the giant. "I'll never hurt you Zero-chan. I love you, Zero. Don't cry, it'll be okay." he spat, mocking my voice. "You make me sick. Get the fuck out of me room before I decorate it with your face."

The hosts were stunned. I guess they hadn't heard him talk like that. "Did I fucking stutter!? Get the fuck out!" he screamed, shoving me. "I don't want to see your face ever again!" he pushed me again. "I hate you! I fucking hate you!" Mori picked him up again, holding him close to his chest.

"I believe Zero-chan asked you to leave, Kuro. I suggest you get lost." Honey said, walking over to me. I left before he could get any closer. I wasn't trying to get a broken body along with a broken heart.


	6. Even Unsinkable Ships Sink

~3rd Person POV~

All eyes were on Zero as Mori held him. He wasn't crying like the club expected him to. No, he was lashing out.

"That.. That bastard. How could he!" he turned his eyes to Kyoya. "And you! Why couldn't you just leave me the fuck alone! I left for a reason dipshit! I told you not to find me for a reason! What part of that didn't you understand!?" Mori held him tighter, refusing to let go. "Tell your cousin and the rest of them it's over with. I'm done with this shit. You Ootori are all the same, a pack of lying wolfs. Fuck you and the pot you piss in. Get the fuck out of my face. I'm sick of you. You douchebag." the insults when on and on until everyone had left the room except for Mori and Zero.

"Zero-chan.. Stop.." Mori said, rocking the emotionally unstable man. He was just as confused as the neko. How could they do this to him? Zero didn't deserve to be hurt like this. "I hate them, Mori-sempai.. I hate everything about them. Why me? What did I do to deserve this.."

Tamaki watched from the door was as Zero broke down before joining the group in the lobby. His heart was breaking for the boy. He thought Kyoya had gotten over Zero with the way they hooked up. "Kyoya, what's going on..?" Haruhi asked. She was confused more than any of us obviously. "You heard what Kuro said. Everything he said was true." he said, not looking at us.

"Why would he agree to do that if he was married..? No amount of money should cause you to convince your spouse to let you cheat.." Tamaki said, looking at Kyoya. In truth, he was happy that Kyoya kept tabs on the boy. His son shouldn't have to face this cold world alone. But he was aggravated that his Kyoya would take such great lengths to do that.

Honey, on the other hand, was past furious. How could Kyoya do something like this again!? Hurting Zero for money!? And that Kuro guy!? He couldn't believe what was happening. "I thought you had changed Kyoya!" he yelled, slamming the man into the wall and holding him by his collar. "You knew he would get hurt again! You knew it! So why do it!? Why let him get hurt again!?" he spat, the rest of them silently watching.

Everyone knew not to touch his sweets or hurt his friends..

Kyoya remained silent and Honey dropped the boy to the ground. "You're just as disgusting as you've always been." he said, walking off to get his cousin and Zero. He refused to let Zero stay anywhere near those people.

"Do you still love him..?" Hikaru directed at Kyoya as he helped him from the floor. Kyoya stayed silent, dusting him self off. "If you do, you have a funny way of showing it. You don't pay someone to act like they have feelings for someone. Stop acting like a child." he, his brother, and Haruhi all went back to there rooms, none of them looking back at him.

"We need to talk, Kyoya.." Kyoya looked shocked. Surprised really. It had been a while since Tamaki had called him anything other than mommy. "I want you to be completely honest with me. Not as your lover or whatever, but as your best friend.. What's going on with you..? Why are you doing all of this? I know it's not like you to be forward with how you're feeling but this.. This is too much even for you.." Tamaki said, leaning against the wall. "This isn't like you at all.."

"What do you want me to say, Tamaki..? I love him, okay? I'm in love with him and there's nothing I could do. He didn't want me near him and I had school to finish. I couldn't just up and leave to follow him.." Kyoya said, glaring at the blond next to him. "I had to see him again, but that didn't work. Kuro was the next best thing.."

"I don't care what you do, mommy, but you need to fix this.. Soon. I want my family back." Tamaki said before heading back to his room.


	7. FINALLY!

~Mori's POV~

I rubbed Zero's back as he cried, muttering things to himself. "Zero, none of this is your fault. You didn't know.." I tried, holding him tighter. "Of course it is! Ha, I should've known. I should've paid more attention." he said, looking down.

How could they do this to such an innocent guy? He did nothing to deserve this. Nothing at all.

"Zero, you deserve more than an Ootori.. You deserve the world. You have an amazing talent, don't let it go to waste. You can do this on your own if you want to. I see the passion when you play, when you sing, when you get on that stage. You love it there and you know it. Don't let this minor set-back put a damper on your dreams.." I said, kissing his forehead.

Then his nose..

Then his lips..

No words could describe how good this felt. This is what I've waited years for, to finally kiss Zero Akamaru and for him to kiss me back. It may not mean anything. He could be totally out of it, he could just need the comfort. But I don't mind it.

I smiled against his lips as we pulled away, our foreheads pressed against each other. His eyes stayed closed as he panted. Let me tell you, that's the most beautiful sight anyone could ever see.

How..? How could they be so stupid as to give up someone as beautiful as him..?

"M.. Mori-sempai.. W.. Why..?" he asked, a blush on his face.

"Zero.. I like you.. I've liked you for a while now.. And I know it'll take time. I'm not stupid. But I want you to go out with me. It doesn't have to be today, tomorrow, or next week. But I want to show you how you should be treated, how a real man acts when he's in the presence of someone as gorgeous as you." I smiled as his blush grew.

"I.. I'd like that.." he said, planting a small kiss on my jaw.

"Takashi, let's g.. Oh.. I'm sorry! I didn't know!" Mitsukuni left just as fast as he came in. Zero laughed lightly before yelling for him, telling him to come back.

"I didn't mean to interrupt. I was just saying we should get going." he said, standing by the door. "Oh, you guys aren't staying in the hotel?" Zero asked as I stood, pulling him up with me.

"Nope. And neither are you." Mitsukuni said, grabbing his arm. "I won't stay in a hotel with skumbags!" he shouted, pointing to the hallway. "Now, grab your bags Zero-chan. You're coming with us."

After Zero packed his bags, we lead him out to the car and drove to the next hotel. Mitsukuni had already booked the rooms for us. Zero had fallen asleep in the car, like always, and I carried him to the room.

"Takashi, you really like him, right? Don't miss this chance.." Mitsukuni said before laying in his bed.


	8. Genuine

~3rd Person POV~

'What..' Mori thought as he opened his eyes, instantly regretting it. 'What happened last night..' he questioned as he ran his fingers through his hair. 'Okay, let's check..' he wiggled his toys. 'I have my legs.' he then wiggled his fingers. 'I have my hands.' he heard the shower running. 'I can hear..'

He frowned as he looked under the blankets. 'No pants.. No boxers.. No shirt.. I'm naked.. I'm naked. I'm naked. I'm naked I'm naked I'm naked I'm naked..' he screamed in his head. 'WHY AM I NAKED!?'

After a few seconds he calmed down and grabbed the first pair of underwear he could find, followed by his pants. 'I have to find Mitsukuni..' he tried to escape the room. He really did. But luck wasn't on his side as the bathroom door opened revealing his neko, Zero. The towel hung loosely around his waist as their eyes met. An instant blush flooded Zero's face, causing him to turn away.

"I see you're awake. Give me a second and I can make you something to eat." Zero said, sliding on his boxers under his towel followed by Mori's t-shirt. Mori couldn't help the smile that grew on his face. 'What a sight..' he thought, watching Zero walk to the kitchen.

As Zero made breakfast, Mori sat in the living room wondering how he got there. The last thing he remembered was after Mitsukuni went to bed..

~Flashback, Mori's POV~

I sighed as I walked back to where I had left Zero, only to find him with a bottle of sake in his hand. "Zero. What are you doing..?" I asked, looking at him. '1.. 2.. 3.. 6.. 9.. 9 empty bottles of sake..' I sweat-dropped. 'How could someone drink so much in that short amount of time?' "Drinn wiff meh Mooooorii!" he shouted, a drunken smile on his face. "Nahh. We're cool catts. We be friendz. Imma call you Takakashi!" his grin grew wider. "Come haff a drrinkk Takakashi!" I frowned as I sat next to him. This was going to end badly.

~Flashback over, 3rd Person POV again~

Mori rubbed his temples. That explained his head ache. He looked back at the young man in the kitchen. 'That doesn't explain why I woke up naked though..' he thought as he leaned back into the couch. A couple seconds went by before everything started to click.

A drunk Zero.

Plus.

A drunk Takashi.

Equals.

Sex he couldn't remember.

He sighed a covered his face with his hands. 'I can't believe it..' he thought, trying harder to remember last nights events. He rose swiftly from his seat and made his way to the door. He needed to talk to Mitsukuni. Soon. He gave a halfhearted excuse to Zero about him leaving, asking him to keep the food warm before leaving to Mitsukuni's room.

He barged in the room, not wasting any time. He had to talk to someone. Sadly, his cousin wasn't in the room. Mori sat on the bed when he noticed a note on the dresser.

_Takakashi :)_

_I moved rooms! :) As much as I love you and Zero-chan. I don't need to hear that. I may be older but that.. that was too much. Please, try to give me a warning next time. I'm in room 807 now. Take your time! _

_Mitsukuni 3 3_

Mori blushed a dark red as he read the note. 'So.. We did.. it..' he thought as he slowly made his way back to the room where Zero was. He stopped at the door. 'We.. We had sex.. We had sex.. We had sex.. I never thought.. Well, I did. But not like that..' he shook his head and opened the door.

"I said shut it!" Zero yelled causing Mori to pause his movements. "He has a fiance, Zero. I know you don't want to hear it, but it's true. His parents picked her out when he was still in high school. Whether he has intentions to marry her or not, he's still engaged." Mori's heart stopped. He had forgotten. He had completely forgotten. It had been years since he had heard anything about it and when his parents told him, he just nodded. He never thought anything of it. He wasn't ready to be married and he didn't think his parents would actually arrange a marriage for him.

"Ha! You want me to believe you?! Really?! After everything you've done to me?! You're the biggest liar I know, Kuro! You and Kyoya are just alike! I'll ask him about it myself!" he screamed.

'Time to face the music..' Mori sighed as he continued into the room. 'This won't end well.'

As he walked in, his whole body grew numb.

Zero, Kuro, Kyoya, Mitsukuni, and Delilah..


	9. How Did I Get So Lucky?

~3rd Person Pov~

The room grew silent when Mori walked in. All eyes were on him. "Ah, Takashi. I'm glad you could join us." Delilah spoke. "This.. boy.. Seems to think you two have something together outside of his delusional fantasies. Please, set him straight." She spat out the words as if they were poison. Zero didn't flinch as he took a seat on the arm of the couch.

"I have no idea who you are." Mori said. He didn't want Zero to find out like this. He wouldn't let it happen. "I don't know what you have against me, Kyoya, but I won't let you ruin his happiness. Please, take this woman and your cousin and get lost." He looked straight at Zero. He couldn't let Zero be hurt again, not like this.

Delilah was the first to leave, followed by the Ootori's and lastly Mitsukuni. Zero smiled and walked over to Mori, wrapping his arms around his waist. Mori stayed still and tried to calm his heart. "I can't believe them.." Zero started, kissing Mori's chest. "Let's finish our breakfast, okay?" Zero lead Mori back to the table and pulled the chair out for him.

Breakfast was quiet, neither of them talking much.

Zero cleared the table and Mori smiled. He didn't like lying to Zero, not a bit. He just couldn't bear to hurt him. "Takashi.. I want to show you something." Zero put away the dishes and grabbed his hand, taking him to the bedroom.

~Zero's POV~

I smiled as I led Takashi to the bedroom. I had written a song for him. It came to me the other night and I just.. I had to show him. I grabbed my guitar from the corner and sat on the floor as he sat on the bed.

"I.. I hope you like it.." I looked at him as I started to play.

"I've been beaten down, I've been kicked around

But he takes it all for me.

And I lost my faith, in my darkest days,

But he makes me want to believe

They call him love, love, love, love, love.

They call him love, love, love, love, love.

He is love and he's all I need

He's all I need.

Well I had my ways, they were all in vain,

But he waited patiently.

It was all the same, all my pride and shame,

And he put me on my feet.

They call him love, love, love, love, love.

They call him love, love, love, love, love.

They call him love, love, love, love, love.

He is love, and he is all I need.

Cause when that world slows down, dear.

And when those stars burn out, here.

Oh he'll be here, yes he'll be here.

They call him love, love, love, love, love.

They call him love, love, love, love, love.

They call him love, love, love, love, love.

They call him love, love, love, love, love.

He is love, and he is all I need.

He is love, and he is all I need.

He is love, and he is all I need."

I held out the note a little and looked him in the eyes. He smiled at me and ran his fingers through my hair, rubbing behind my ears. "That was beautiful." he said, kissing my forehead. "I wrote it for you." I smiled wide and leaned into his hand.

"I love it." He whispered before placing his lips on mine. What started as a simple kiss turned passionate and slow. I wrapped my arms around his neck and smiled into the kiss. 'How did I get so lucky?' I thought, pulling him closer.


	10. Ignore It

~3rd Person POV~

Takashi was having a hard time. A pain in his chest was telling him that he needed to come clean. He had been trying to ignore it for the past few months, but he couldn't anymore.

Zero had finally moved in with him, after some coaxing and promises of tuna. These months had been pure bliss for the new couple except for the visits from Kyoya. Takashi dreaded those the most.

When ever he would come over Delilah followed him and Takashi would feel guilty. How could he have forgotten about the poor girl? He was supposed to be a gentleman for Pete's sake!

He sighed as he peeked into the kitchen, watching Zero prepare dinner. Tonight would be the night that he came clean. He couldn't take lying anymore. Mitsukuni had already expressed his disappointment a few months earlier, saying Takashi shouldn't keep secrets like that and Zero would be even more hurt now.

"Zero, we need to talk. Okay?" Zero didn't turn around but his tail slowly stopped swaying. "What's wrong?" He said, his voice shaking slightly. This was going to be the hardest thing Takashi had ever done.

"It's about Delilah." Takashi said, sitting at the table with his head in his hands. His heart was starting to hurt but he knew he had to do this. He had to get it off his chest. "We are engaged.. But I forgot about it completely. When our parents set it up, I completely brushed it off. It never occurred to me that they would go through with it.."

After five minutes of silence, he looked at Zero. His tail was wrapped around his waist and his ears were pressed to his head. The sound of sniffling filled the room and Takashi felt his heart breaking. "I'm sorry." He moved to Zero quickly, putting a hand on his shoulder. He wasn't surprised when Zero shrugged him off.

"You're engaged. That's wonderful." Zero said through tears. "Once I get the invitation, I'll RSVP. I hope you guys have tuna there. That would be great." He started to ramble, his tears never stopping. "I guess I need to apologize to her. I thought some really nasty things about her in this noodle of mine." He turned off the stove and grabbed his jacket.

"You'll probably want your wife to move in here, right? I'll send for my things." He smiled sadly and threw his key on the table. Takashi frowned. "Where will you go..?" Zero laughed and Takashi tried to ignore the pain he heard.

"I don't see how that's any of your concern now, Mori-sempai. You should worry about your wife." Takashi tried to ignore the fact that Zero no longer called him Takashi, or the fact the he was leaving, the the fact that his heart was breaking. He tried to ignore it all.

When the door closed behind Zero, Takashi barely felt the couch beneath him. He sat there for a while before he grabbed his phone. First, he texted Mitsukuni to tell him that he finally told Zero. Then, he texted the twins and Tamaki, in case Zero went there. Finally, he called the devil himself.

"Ootori Kyoya." Takashi bit his tongue to keep his words in check. "It's Takashi. You'll be happy to know that I told him. Now, delete the pictures." His grip on the phone tightened. To think he would be blackmailed. He heard Kyoya snicker on the other end. "Of course, Mori-sempai. I'll have them deleted and the originals sent over to your home."

Takashi hung up and looked down at his hands. Today really wasn't his


	11. Just Let Go

~Zero's POV~

'A fiance.. A legit fiance..' I thought as I got into my car. I turned off my phone and started to drive. I couldn't believe it. 'How could he lie like that..?' I wiped my face as I drove. I felt like my life was falling apart. I had honestly fallen for Takashi and now he's engaged.. That's a blow to the heart if I've ever felt one.

I drove for what felt like hours and found myself at the lair of evil. I frowned to myself and looked out the window to see the dark haired, glasses wearing man on the porch. I silently cursed myself. 'I always seem to find him when I'm upset.' I slowly got out of the car and stared at him.

"I guess I owe you an apology. And Delilah." I said, walking up to the door. "Don't worry about it." he said, moving to the side to let me.

I walked in and went straight to the living room, laying out on the couch. I remember Kuro showing me pictures of this place. I thought it was something out of a magazine. Had I known it was Kyoya's place, I would've burned the pictures.

"Do you want something to drink?" he asked, walking to the kitchen. "Vodka." I said, flipping onto my back. "Apple juice?" I smiled slightly. He remembered my chaser. "Nope, not today."

One drink turned to two, two turned to five, five turned to fifteen. I was wasted and I didn't care.

~Kyoya's POV~

A drunk Zero was walking around my house until he stumbled across the grand piano. I smiled as he sat down. His body snapped into position and he started to ramble. "How is this fair..?" He said, running his slender fingers over the keys. "I've never been a bad guy. I've never hurt nobody." He muttered, looking down at his thighs.

I took a seat next to him and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. It was hard to see him like that. It was even worse knowing I was partly responsible. I couldn't leave him alone to be happy with anyone other than me. It was selfish, but I didn't care. Zero was and always will be mine.

I looked over at him as he started to drift off. His face was red and puffy as he cried. His ears were flat on his head and his tail stayed around his waist. I picked him up and carried him to the spare bedroom, laying him down. He was fast asleep before he hit the pillow.

I went out to the living room and grabbed my phone, calling the host club. Once everyone was on the call, the first to speak was Tamaki, asking about his son and where he was. Then it was the twins and Haruhi, asking what happened to him and why he ran off. Honey-sempai was going on about cake and Mori-sempai stayed silent like usual.

"He's here with me. Don't worry." I said, pinching the bridge of my nose as the phone exploded with them asking why. "He found out about Mori-sempai's fiancee, came over, got drunk, and passed out." I sat on the couch, taking off my glasses. This conversation wasn't going to go well.

The questions turned to Mori, mainly asking about his fiance but Haruhi was laying into him with guilt, which she had gotten very good at. Even I was starting to feel guilty for him having a fiance.

Honey spoke up, saying that Mori had forgotten and if he had known he wouldn't have pursued the relationship. Mori gave a sound of agreement and the phone went silent.

"Why did he go to your house..?" Haruhi asked, her voice a bit shaky. I smiled a little as I remembered his drunken rambling.

"Because when he's around me, he can just let go.


	12. Kiss Me

~Kyoya's POV~

I hung up the phone and sat on the couch, pouring myself a glass of Scotch and smiling to myself. I finally had him back. Zero was here, in my house, in my bed.. I laughed silently before taking a drink and walking towards the bedroom.

I pushed the door open and stood in the doorway, watching Zero sleep. His ears were perked up and his tail was laying next to him, no longer wrapped around his waist. 'He's beautiful.' I thought, slowly getting into the bed behind him. He would be upset, but I wouldn't care.

~The Morning Time~

"Kyoya. Get up."

"Kyoya, let me go."

"Kyoya, I'm going to bite you."

"That's it, I'm gonna kick you."

I opened my eyes slowly and peered down at the boy next to me. "If you kick me you're going to lose that foot." I snarled, closing my eyes. "Then let me go and I won't have to you demon!" He screamed. I smirked slightly. "Your tail has my leg, I'm not the one holding on." I pulled back the blanket, showing him what I had said was true.

He frowned instantly. "That's not my fault. It's a reaction.." He moved his tail and sat on the edge of the bed, stretching out. "You used to do that when we were younger." I said, watching his back tense up. "You would always fall asleep and wrap your tail.." he held up his hand, cutting me off. "You sir, don't get to talk to me about when we were younger." he stood up and I followed after him. "You're the dick who put me through all that shit when we were younger." His voice was rising. "And even when we're miles apart, you manage to get your greedy little demon hands on my life!" He screamed as I stared at him. "Are you done..?" I asked, slowly moving towards him.

"Am I done? AM I DONE!? What kind of question is that Kyoya!?" He screamed, his tail flaring up. "Are you done with you temper tantrum?" I said, backing him into the wall. "You're acting out. Why?" I stroked his tail slowly. "You asshole." he spat, looking away.

"You forgave me for the bet, didn't you?" I asked, moving closer. "I did. What does that matter?" he said, barely above a whisper. "Can you forgive me for this..?" I smirked slightly, putting my head on his shoulder. I heard him sigh and felt his arms go around my back. "I already have.." he whispered. I smiled against his neck, placing a small kiss there.

I laughed when I felt him shiver. That was always a good sign.

"Kyoya.. Stop.." He said, his voice airy and empty of any authority. I had missed this. I missed his voice. I missed him being in my arms.

I lifted my head and looked at him, his face pink and his ears perked up. I smiled at him. "You're still as beautiful as the day we met." I said, my hands holding his hips. His face grew pinker and I smiled more. "You're smiling Kyoya. It doesn't suit you." he said, a small chuckle leaving his lips. "I'm smiling because of you." I said, leaning my forehead against his, our lips centimeters apart.

"Don't toy with me, Kyoya.." he whispered, his eyes closing as he visibly relaxed.

"I won't." I said, slowly pressing my lips to his


	13. Literally Fighting

~Kyoya's POV~

It took a while, but his lips started to move against mine. God, I missed this. I missed everything about this. I smiled into the kiss, picking him up and putting his legs around my waist. I leaned him against the wall and started stroking his tail, pulling a low moan from his throat.

"K.. Kyo.." His voice was low and airy. When he pulled away to breathe, I lowered my head to his neck. I continued to stroke his tail as I kissed his neck. He put his hands in my hair and pulled.

God, I loved that.

We stood there making out for God knows how long. It was the best kiss I had ever had.

I held him close my chest and carried him back to the bed, laying on my back. He hid his face in my neck, kissing it softly.

"Kyo-kun.." he mumbled, his lips lightly touching my neck. "Take me.."

No one could say no to that.

**TIME SKIP TO THE MORNING!**

To say that last night was amazing would be an understatement. I never knew Zero could be such.. an animal.. in bed. The way he moaned, the way he arched his back, the way he said my name. Jesus, help me.

I slowly rubbed his back as he slept, his tail lazily flipping through the air as he purred. I smiled at him. '_I'm a lucky man.' _I thought to myself. '_A truly lucky man.'_

I watched him sleep for about three hours before he started to awake. He's beautiful, I'll tell you that now. His ears perked up first, listening for any sounds; then his tail stopped moving; then he started to sit up. When his eyes met mine, he looked so fragile, scared almost.

"K... Kyo-kun…" he sighed softly, laying back on my chest. I ran my fingers through his hair, smiling. "Good morning Zero-chan." I said, holding him closer. He nuzzled my neck and his hands gripped the sheets.

I felt his purr rumble against my chest. He sighed again, slowly looking up at me. I smiled down at him and he frowned.

"Don't smile Kyo-kun… It doesn't suit you. I like it better when you smirk." He mumbled, sitting up slowly.

I watched as he slid out of the bed and made his way to the bathroom. "Make yourself useful and get started on breakfast." He said, closing and locking the bathroom door. I smiled wide. '_My kitten has a mouth on him now._' I thought, getting out of the bed.

I walked down the hall and stopped once I got to the living room.

"Mommy!" Tamaki yelled, running up to me. "Is he here? Is our beautiful son here?" he asked, looking behind me. I threw a glare his way, causing him to shrink back.

"What are you guys doing here..?" I asked them, frowning. My morning is officially ruined. I leaned against the door way, waiting for one of them to answer.

"Well, you said he was here… So we decided to visit you guys!" Hikaru said. "And we figured he would still be upset and hung over yesterday.." Kaoru said, holding Haruhi's hand.

Mori stood quietly, staring me in the face.

Honey made himself at home in the kitchen, eating some cake that we had.

Tamaki had made his way half way up the stairs before Zero came into view.

"Hey guys.." he said, smiling softly and rubbing a towel through his hair.

"Zero-chan!" Tamaki yelled, tackling him to the floor. Zero laughed loudly, his face brighter than the sun. "Bonjour Papa." He said, his French fluid. Tamaki smiled wide, hugging the boy even tighter.

I watched them for a second before turning and walking to the kitchen. I heard the twins mutter something about me being jealous, but I ignored it. The chef had breakfast prepared already and was starting on lunch.

I grabbed two plates and walked back into the living room. Zero was sitting on the chair in the corner, the hosts surrounding him. It looked like they were having a heated discussion.

"And I'm telling you, Hikaru, Goku would kick Superman's butt! Any time, any day!" Zero glared at the red head, crossing his arms. "It's stupid to think otherwise." Hikaru pouted, looking to his brother. "Zero-chan is mean." He said, crossing his arms.

"Awh. I'm sorry!" Zero said, his anger quickly going away. I made my way over to them and sat down next to Zero, pulling him close to me and putting the plate in his lap. "Eat." I said, putting my plate on the table.

Everyone looked over at us as he started eating. Tension grew in the room.

"Zero-chan..?" Haruhi asked, looking at the boy. I stared at her, wondering what she was going to say. Zero looked up cautiously, barely meeting her eyes. "Yeah..?" He asked, his voice low.

I watched them and Haruhi sighed, sitting up. She looked at me, her face held disappointment.

It's safe to say she knew that we had sex and she wasn't happy about it.

"Can you explain to me the marks on Zero's neck?" she said, crossing her arms. Mori turned to us quickly, walking over and grabbing Zero by the arm. He pulled him up and yanked on the collar of his shirt. Sure enough, the hickeys I left were very visible.

"I left them there." I said, glaring at Mori. "How dare you?!" He screamed, pulling Zero closer to himself. "How dare you mark him like he's your property!?" Fear was clear in Zero's eyes as he tried to pull away from Mori's grip.

I'm not sure what came over me in that moment. Really, I don't know. Maybe it was courage or anger, but I'm sure it was stupidity.

I jumped from my seat and tackled Mori to the ground, punching him as hard as I could in the chest. We rolled on the floor as we traded hits back and forth. The guys tried to break us up but it didn't work.

"Guys! Stop! Zero is hurt!" someone yelled and we stopped right there. I quickly untangled myself from Mori and ran to where Zero was. In our struggle, Mori hadn't let go of Zero. He kept a firm hold on his collar, causing him to be thrown around with us.

I looked at him, anger building up in my chest. His face was clearly going to bruise, his arm looked to be dislocated if not broken, his other arm was wrapped around his waist like he was holding himself.

I heard his breathing become labored and I glared at the wall. His ribs were probably broken. Haruhi called for an ambulance and I kneeled in front of him. "Zero… Talk to me… Please.." I reached out to touch his face and he shrunk away from me.

My face started to hurt, along with my chest. But seeing my Zero shrink away from me like a scared kitten? That hurt more than anything.


	14. Marry Me Again?

~Haruhi's POV~

When the ambulance arrived, Zero refused to go. He hid behind Tamaki until Kyoya managed to get them to leave. His tail was wrapped around his waist tightly and he held a tight grip on the back of Tamaki's shirt. He was terrified.

His eyes were wide and he pulled Tamaki back until he had his back in the corner.

"Zero-chan, you need to be looked at…" I said, stepping close to him. He held his side and his breathing grew heavier as he shook his head. Kaoru stood by my side, stepping closer as well. "Zero-chan, you could have some broken bones. We have to get them set." He tried.

Zero just shrank back into the corner, pulling Tamaki in front of him. The room was silent before Tamaki turned to him.

"Zero, you're hurt. You need to be seen. At least let the doctors here check you out." He said, petting Zero's hair. That calmed him down slightly and he nodded, his grip still firm on Tamaki's shirt.

Tamaki lead him upstairs and we sat in the living room. Kyoya followed after them, then Mori.

'_This… Will end badly_..' I thought…

~Tamaki's POV~

I lead Zero up the stairs, his grip getting tighter when we heard footsteps behind us. We walked to Kyoya's study and I laid him on the couch. I never imagined that this would have happened. I didn't think that those two would hurt him. I know it was an accident but still, how stupid could they be?

This is worse than when Haruhi thought she could protect the customers at the beach.

I frowned deeply as Kyoya and Mori burst into the room. "Oi, Papa..?" Zero said, tugging on my shirt. I looked at him and my breath caught in my throat. He was close to tears.

"I… It hurts…" he said, his other hand clutching his side. "Tamaki, I'll take care of him." Kyoya said, stepping closer. Zero's grip tightened and he hid his face in my back.

"I don't think you should come any closer, Kyoya." I muttered. Zero started to shake as if he were cold. I frowned even more. "You guys… You guys really hurt him…"

"I didn't mean too! He knows that!" Mori yelled, storming over to us. He grabbed Zero's arm and pulled him up, looking into his face. "You know I wouldn't hurt you! You know that! I would never, ever, hurt you on purpose!" he screamed.

Zero's face was frozen in fear. His breathing got heavier and he tried to get out of Mori's grip. "Mori stop! You're scaring him!" I yelled, grabbing his waist and pulling him back to me. He hid his face in my neck and I held him.

I can't believe them. Kyoya turned to Mori and they started arguing. The bickering stopped when the doctor came in. He looked over Zero, pressing on his ribs slightly, checked his arm, and looked at his face.

Just from looking at him, the doctor could tell that his arm had been dislocated and he popped it back into place before putting a sling on it. By pressing on his ribs, he realized they weren't broken but they were heavily bruised.

I stared at him as the doctor gave him some pain meds. His face contorted into pain when Kyoya sat next to him. "Everyone leave. Now." His voice was calm. I started to leave, grabbing Mori's arm. He hardly resisted. "Mori, I think you should leave." I said, once we got out of the room.

I walked down to the others and told them what the doctor said about Zero's condition. They looked relieved and Mori stood next to Honey. I smiled softly, looking around the room. '_This is my family. I'm a lucky man.' _I thought, sighing softly.

~Kyoya's POV~

When Tamaki dragged Mori out of the room, I looked at Zero. He shrunk away from me and huddled up into the corner. "Zero-chan…" I said, moving closer to him. He refused to look at me and that hurt. That hurt my heart.

"Zero… I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to get mixed up in this. I don't know what came over me when I jumped him. I shouldn't have put you in a position where you could've gotten hurt. I wasn't thinking and I apologize. I really do." I laid my head on his shoulder, regret filling my chest. God, I was turning into the sappiest person on the earth.

"I'm so sorry." I said, rubbing his side gently. He flinched for a moment before relaxing into my touch.

"I… I'm scared, Kyo-kun…" he said, his voice shaking. "I didn't know what was happening. I never wanted you guys to fight, that's why I left in the first place. Y… You guys are all great friends and then I came along and ruined it." I felt the tears fall on my shoulder.

"How… How is it possible to have you guys like me, let alone be in love with me? There's not a damn thing special about me but you guys… You guys make me feel like I'm someone, like I'm important… I just, I don't understand…" he said, gripping his leg tightly. "What's so special about me, huh? Why me?"

I grabbed his hand gently, lacing our fingers together. "Zero, you're amazing. I'm sorry I didn't say so sooner. I'm sorry I didn't tell you how… how precious you are, how sweet you are, how special you are, how lovely you are, how beautiful you are… I should've said something sooner. I should've been honest from the start. I never should've made that bet. I never should've lied to you." I said, kissing his hand softly and grabbing his chin gently, making him look at me. "I know you've forgiven me for the bet, you've forgiven me for Kuro… But could you forgive me this? For letting you get hurt when you were with me…"

I felt him kiss my head and his fingers roam through my hair. "I'll always forgive you, Kyo-kun…" he sighed softly. "I couldn't stay mad at you. Or Mori for that matter…"

The room stayed silent for a while. We just laid on the couch and he played with my hair. It was nice.

I missed it.

"Zero-chan…" I looked up at him and his eyes met mine. It looked like he was falling asleep. I guess it was the medicine he had taken. "What will it take for you to marry me again? For real this time?"


	15. No, I Won't

**~Kyoya's POV~**

Zero fell asleep without giving me an answer. I doubt he even heard what I said. I gently laid him down on the couch before going back to the club downstairs. All eyes were on me as I reached them.

"He's asleep. We need to talk." I said, sitting in a chair and pouring myself a drink. Everyone sat down except for Mori. "I'm planning to get back into Zero's life. I'm going to marry him, for real this time."

The room stayed silent for a while before Tamaki spoke up. "What if he doesn't want to marry you? What if he doesn't want to risk it?" he said, staring at me. I shrugged, taking a drink. "If that's what he decides, then so be it. But I'm not giving up without a fight."

"Neither am I, Kyoya." Mori said quietly. "You've had your chance and you ruined it. This is your doing." He seethed, his fists clenching. "If he chooses me, then he chooses me. I'm not going to fight you for him, Mori. I refuse. Fighting with you is why he's upstairs right now." I said, sitting my now empty glass on the side table.

"You don't deserve him." Hikaru spat, his arms crossed over his chest. Everyone turned to him. His face was redder than his hair. "Excuse me?" I said, glaring him down.

"You heard me. You don't deserve him. Neither does Mori. The only person who does is Honey or Haruhi and they aren't interested." He glared back at me. "You and I made a BET on him and you cheated on him with over fifty percent of this room." He then turned to Tamaki. "You were supposed to be his friend and instead, slept with his boyfriend. What a great friend and dad you are." Tamaki shrunk into his seat as Hikaru turned his assault on to Mori. "You… You had people rooting for you! But you had a freakin' fiancée… A fiancée that you forgot about. What kind of man forgets about his wife and then lies about her?"

Mori looked away, suddenly finding the wall more interesting. Hikaru then turned to his brother. "You knew about the bet and kept quiet. You didn't warn him or anything." He sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "We were terrible to him. It's amazing he even talks to us now. We've got a person in our lives who we don't deserve. You guys shouldn't put him through this. He doesn't need it." He stood, grabbing his jacket. "Kaoru, let's go."

He left, followed by Haruhi and Kaoru. Then Honey and Mori bid goodnight and left as well. Tamaki turned to me, his face void of any emotion.

It was scary, to say the least.

"You want to marry him..?" He asked, his voice as empty as his face. I gave a nod and he continued to keep his face empty. "And you're sure?" I gave another nod. "What about me…" his voice broke slightly.

"You have been a great friend to me, Tamaki. You're my best friend. I love you, I do. Just… Just not like I love Zero. I shouldn't have been with you like that. I shouldn't have been with anyone like that. I've lead you on and I'm sorry. I should've told you from the beginning that I didn't feel that way. I should've said something…" I looked at the floor, the table, the bookshelf. Anywhere but at Tamaki.

It was silent for about half an hour before I heard him sigh. "Kyoya, it's great to finally see this side of you. In school, you never showed any emotion, you never spoke how you felt. It's amazing what a little love can do for you, huh?" he said, smiling slightly.

"I don't want you to hate me. I don't want anyone to hate me…" I said quietly, my face in my hands. "I don't want to lose you guys as my friends, as my family."

"Kyoya, I think you're drunk." Tamaki laughed slightly. "Yeah, he might be." I frowned, hearing Zero in my head. "Dear God, I can hear him in my head now." I sighed, closing my eyes.

"I'm not in your head dear, I'm right here." I heard him sigh again. I looked up, only half surprised that he was actually there.

"Kyo-kun, you aren't going to lose these people. They are your family. They love you. Despite the fights you have, the arguments, whatever it is you guys seem to be dealing with, you guys will make it through. That's what family does. They help each other. They could never hate you. I swear it." He said, kissing my head.

Tamaki bid us goodnight and left, leaving me with Zero. "Hikaru was right, I really don't deserve you. I don't. You deserve so much more than me. Like, a million times more better than me." I said, leaning into Zero's chest.

I felt him running his fingers through my hair. "You're right, you don't deserve me. No one does. What would you have to do to deserve a mess like me?" he laughed softly, god I love that laugh. "No one deserves anyone. I'm here, with you, because in the back of my mind, I believe that we'll work out. The universe has a way of making things happen."

"What do I have to do to get you to marry me?" I asked, leaning into his hand. He was silent and I started thinking of everything I'd have to do.

'Maybe get him a puppy? I could do that. I'd get him the best puppy alive. Or maybe a jet? Does he like to fly? What if I get a jet and he hates flying and he doesn't want to marry me anymore?' I let my drunk thoughts ramble on until Zero kissed me.

His kisses are the most calming and soothing things in the world. Almost like getting a massage and petting a puppy at the same time the puppy is wearing a bow.

Okay, I really a drunk.

"Ask me." He said, leaning his forehead against mine. I stared into his eyes, a smile on my lips. I moved closer, my lips barely touching his. "What do I have to do to get you to marry me?" I asked again, causing him to giggle. "Not that, you idiot."

"Zero, will you marry me?" I asked, kissing his lips gently as I spoke.

He smiled wide and leaned away slightly.

"No, I won't."


	16. Overly Honest

**~Kyoya's POV~**

I instantly sobered up. "I'm sorry, what?" I said, watching Zero pull away completely, his smile dropping fully from his face. "No, I won't marry you Kyoya." He said, sitting across from me.

I felt my heart shatter. You know that feeling when you reach the top of a really high roller coaster and you drop? That's what I'm feeling right now in my belly. I felt like a part of me had died in that instant.

I glared at him, my fists clenched tightly. "You just said you loved me. You told me to ask!" I yelled. I was furious. Why, why would he do this to me? Why would he get me so pumped up just to shut me down?

"I do love you." He crossed his legs. He stared at me with eyes colder than ice. I don't think even I could get my eyes like that, so void of emotion except of smoldering hatred.

"Then why did you say no?" I asked, glaring harder at him. "If you love me, then why turn me down?!"

**~Zero's POV~**

"I do love you." I said, crossing my legs. I stared at him, completely emotionless. If he were any closer, I was sure he would hear my heart beating a million miles an hour. I just turned down Kyoya Ootori. I turned him down. I said no. No.

He glared at me, tears gathering in his eyes. "If you love me, then why turn me down?!"

I frowned, watching him closely. "Don't get me wrong, Kyoya. I love you. I do. You mean the world to me. But I don't want to marry you." I said, biting my lip. "Marriage means nothing to you. I can see that. If it did, we wouldn't have had a fake one, right? I forgave you for that. I honestly did. But that doesn't mean I forgot it." I stood up, grabbing my bag I had bought downstairs.

"I love you, Kyoya Ootori. But marriage isn't in the cards for us. Not anymore." I smiled slightly, my insides churning as I watched the man I love crumble in front of me. I left quietly, getting into my car. As I drove, I thought of what I had just done. It wasn't the first time I had been asked that question. I mean, it's the first time he's actually asked me but it's not the first time I've been asked 'if Kyoya wants to marry you for real, what would you say?' and I've thought it over.

In my mind, if someone could go through the motions of getting married, created a fake bond with someone just for money then marriage isn't for them. Marriage is something special, it binds two people together for life and that's how I see it.

I frowned more, pulling into a small diner. I made my way inside and sat down. I should be feeling great. I should be on top of the world. I should be happy. I stood up for myself. I told him no. Yet here I am, at a diner, about to cry and eat my weight in whatever desert they have here.

I sat down and ordered a never ending buffet of chocolate cake and sake. I wasn't there for more than five minutes before someone sat across from me.

"I'm not sure what happened, Kitten. But if you truly eat that buffet you won't be thin anymore." The guy said. I sighed, frowning.

"I don't want to talk to you." I said, digging into my first piece of cake. They stared at me, shaking their head. "You only eat cake when you're upset. Did my cousin do something stupid?" Kuro said, leaning back in his chair.

"What do you care? You're both pretty stupid to me." I said, washing down the cake with sake before grabbing another piece. "Cake and liquor huh? That's a great combination." He laughed, staring at me.

"He already called me. That's how I knew something happened. I'm supposed to be following you, not to make contact. But look at me, I'm sitting across from you disobeying orders and whatnot to make sure you're okay." He said, grabbing a glass of sake for himself. "Care to tell me why you turned him down?"

"I don't owe you an explanation." I spat, finishing my second piece of cake in record time. I felt like Honey, just devouring cake like a beast. He stared at me, his eyes bore into mine.

"Regardless of what you think, I know you Zero-chan. I know you a lot better than I'd like to admit. You're at a 24 hour diner in the middle of the night eating cake and drinking sake. You would've either called me or one of your club friends because you'll be drunk. Hell, you might've even called Kyoya and married him." He said, smiling to himself like a detective who had just solved a case. I shook my head slightly, having another glass of sake.

"You know he's at home crying right? Not just small cry but literally sobbing. Probably on the floor somewhere. He loves you whether you think so or not. And you turning him down really hurt him." He said, his voice low.

"You don't think I'm hurt? I've been through Hell and back for this guy. I came back to him, I fell in love with him again. Who's to say this isn't another bet?! Who's to say that when we get married he won't change, huh!? Who's to say that he really loves me?!" I covered my mouth instantly.

Dammit.

Remember how I said all that stuff about marriage being sacred and he ruined it or something along those lines? Well, I lied a little.

To be completely honest, I'm scared. I'm terrified.

I love Kyoya. I do. But I can't put myself out there like that again.

**~Kyoya's POV~**

"Why is he at a diner?" I asked myself quietly. "He eats cake when he's upset and doesn't want to talk about it." Kuro said. "Just put it on the station when I get in there. You'll be able to hear everything we say." He got out the car, adjusting his jacket before going in.

After Zero left, it took a few moments to get myself together before I called up Kuro. We followed him to this run down diner where we made a quick plan in the parking lot. Not the best but I'm not thinking clearly to be honest. I mean, who would be after getting rejected.

I turned the radio on and fiddled with the stations until I could hear Kuro talking. "Care to tell me why you turned him down?" he said.

I sat quietly, listening to their conversation. "You know he's at home crying, right?" Dear God, really? Really Kuro? Just wait until we leave here, I swear to God I'm going to kill you.

"You don't think I'm hurt? I've been through Hell and back for this guy. I came back to him, I fell in love with him again. Who's to say this isn't another bet?! Who's to say that when we get married he won't change, huh!? Who's to say that he really loves me?!" Zero yelled causing me to freeze. He's scared. That's what it is. He's scared.

I sighed softly, leaning back into my seat.

"If he didn't love you, do you think I would be here? Do you think he would make me follow you all the way from Japan? Do you honestly think he would do any of the stuff he's done so far if he didn't love you? He's spent so much money on you..." Zero cut him off.

"I don't care about money, Kuro! You know that! I don't care about that! I care about him. His money meant nothing then and means nothing now… Our love shouldn't be based on how much he spent on trying to make me see how much he loves me…" he said, eating what looked like his tenth piece of cake.

He's worse than Honey.

"Is he worth it?" Kuro asked, taking a sip from his cup. "Is he worth the pain that you might go through? Is he worth the heartbreak you might suffer? Is he worth the happiness you'll feel from being with him?"


	17. Pretty Ending

**~Zero's POV~**

'Is he worth it..?' I thought to myself. 'I've been through so much crap because of this guy. I just… Okay Zero, pros and cons list go!'

'But brain, I suck at lists…' I frowned. I'm talking to and answering myself. Something is seriously wrong with me.

Kuro stared at me, waiting for my answer. "Well, is he?" I sighed softly. "He is. He's definitely worth it." I said, smiling slightly.

"Then why are you here, drinking and eating cake when you can be at home with your fiancée?" I smiled wide and stood up. "You're right. Ha, how often do you hear that?" I laughed.

"You know, I thought it was going to take a lot longer to make you see that you guys love each other. I really thought I was going to have to drag you home." Kuro said, standing after me. "I was really hoping for an airport scene, like in the movies." He sighed, shaking his head. "Are you okay to drive?"

"Haha, no. You know I don't drink and drive, whether it's one or seven drinks." I said, paying for my meal. "So, give me a ride back to Kyoya's place. I need to talk to him. "I can't drive! I've been drinking too!" Kuro said, pulling out his phone. "I'll call for a car."

I nodded and sat on the curb, smiling to myself. I don't know why I didn't realize this before. Kyoya was totally worth it. I love him. It shouldn't have been this hard to see it. If I ended up hurt, if I ended up broken hearted, if I ended up back where I was, it wouldn't matter. I love him.

I love him.

I'm in love with him.

I'm in love with Kyoya Ootori.

I'm in love with my fiancé Kyoya Ootori.

I'm going to be an Ootori.

Zero Ootori. That sounds so cool.

I giggled to myself. "Uh, Zero? I think you're drunk. You're just giggling…" Kuro said, sitting next to me. "Yeah, I'm p… Kuro is that your car?!" I said, watching his car drive out of the parking lot. "Haha, yeah. That's mine." He laughed.

"Your car is driving away without you! It's being stolen! Call the police!" I yelled, watching the car drive away. "It's fine. I'll just buy a new one if I really want to." He shrugged it off and I frowned.

Stupid rich people.

Once the driver showed up, he drove me to Kyoya's house.

"Just be honest with yourself and him." Kuro said before leaving. I frowned as I walked into the house.

"K… Kyoya..?" I asked the air. I didn't hear any sounds of anyone being there, let alone crying. I made my way to the living room and frowned more. No one was there.

"Zero…" I jumped, hearing Kyoya right behind me.

"Jesus Christ! Why would you do that?!" I screamed, putting my hand over my heart. "Is there something you wanted?" he asked, his voice like ice.

"I, uh, yeah. I wanted to um, talk to you…? If that's okay..?" I said, gripping the hem of my shirt. He shrugged, sitting on the chair he was in before I left. I sat across from him.

This is like déjà vu.

I sighed, biting my lip. 'I don't know what to say. I just can't say oh yeah, I'm ready to marry you. That's not right. I turned him down. Dear God I turned him down. What if he doesn't want to marry me anymore? What if he realized he can do better? What if he's too heartbroken? What if he doesn't forgive me? What if…'

"If you're just going to sit there and freak out, I'm going to go to bed." Kyoya cut off my thinking and stood up. "Wait! I'm sorry! Sit down, please…"

He sat down silently, staring at me. "Speak." He said, crossing his arms and leaning into his seat.

"Okay, I'm sorry. I just… I love you. I shouldn't have turned down your proposal. I was… I was scared. I was afraid that maybe this was another bet. Or that you weren't really in love with me. Or that possibly, when we got married, you or I would change, that we wouldn't love each other like we did before…" I said, looking into his eyes. "But I realized that if any of that happened, I'd be okay with it. I'd be okay if this was another bet or you didn't really love me or you changed or you were only marrying me to sell me off to some country for money. You're worth it. You're worth the risk of possibly having my heart broken. You're worth the pain, the anger, the jealousy, the bickering, whatever it is that we might go through. You're worth it." I made my way over to him and kneeled in front of him, grabbing his hand into mine.

"Kyoya Ootori, will you do me the honor of marrying me?" I asked, staring into his eyes.

His face held no emotion and neither did his eyes. "I thought over what you said earlier, Zero. And you were right." He said, looking away from me. "Marriage isn't in the cards for us."

I felt the air leave my lungs.

"It's not for us. I mean, why do we need a ring and a certificate to prove that we love each other? I have a ring for you, yes. And you can wear it if you want." He smiled. "But marriages aren't for us. Marriages end. But forever? Forever is, well, forever. It doesn't end. So, I don't want to ask to marry you."

He leaned in and kissed my forehead, kneeling just like I was. "Will you stay by my side forever as my husband?" he asked, my hands in his.

Now, I didn't cry. I'll tell you that now. I didn't cry at all.

I bawled like a baby. I wept tears of joy.

And I said yes.

**~Time Skip, 2 Years, Zero's POV~**

"Zero, breathe. You've done this before." Haruhi said, glaring at me slightly as I freaked out. "Hey, don't blame me. We're older now. This is the real deal!"

"Oh my wonderful son! It's time!" Tamaki said, bursting into the room. "Ah. Okay papa. Give me second." I looked into the mirror one last time before smiling at Haruhi. "Okay, let's go."

I smiled when I heard the wedding march play. We had decided to keep our wedding simple and traditional.

Imagine the simplest wedding you can, okay? Got it? Now, imagine it much simpler. That was our wedding. We didn't see the need to make it extravagant. I mean, we're already extravagant people.

Our vows were simple, the kiss was simple, and the reception was simple.

Very. Very. Simple.

That night though, was not. We had the rest of the club members, along with the band members, over for a small little get together before we left for our honeymoon.

The twins were happy for us, even though they were rooting for Mori.

Tamaki said he always knew we would end up together.

Haruhi and Honey were just happy I was happy.

And Mori… Mori wasn't very happy, but he supported me. He gave me away, again.

The band played at our wedding and now we were just jamming out in the living room.

"Okay you guys, I've got a song I want to play." I said, sliding up to the piano. "It's called I Can't Not Love You."

I smiled as I played, staring straight at Kyoya. He smiled and sang along with the chorus.

I'm a lucky guy. I really am. I don't know how I got this lucky.

As the night went on, our friends started leaving until it was just me and Kyoya left in the house. I picked up the room as he put the dishes in the dishwasher. "Mr. Ootori…" I said, smiling at him. "Yes, Mr. Ootori?" he said, wrapping his arms around my waist.

"I love you, you know that right? More than anything in the world." I said, kissing him softly. "And I love you, dear. I love you to the moon and back." He said, returning the kiss.

**AN: Okay you guys, this is the end of this story. I feel like I've gone as far as I can with it. BUT, don't fear. As you can see, we're only on letter 'P'. I want to finish the alphabet. So, I thought maybe you guys would like some one-shots about these two? I have a few ideas but if you guys have any, message me. Okay? Thanks for all the support, really. And I'm sorry if this ending isn't something you guys liked. I really hope you do. I love you guys. Thank you. **


	18. Quiet (Kyoya x Zero one-shot)

~Kyoya's POV~

I sighed as I walked into the house. It had been a long day at work. Running a company of your own isn't all fun and fancy. "I'm home." I said, placing my brief case and suit jacket by the door.

Silence.

I walked passed the kitchen to the living room. I looked to the couch and the recliner and sighed again. This was odd.

In all the years I've lived with Zero, it's never been this quiet. He's always there to greet me at the door or he has dinner cooking or he's playing the piano or even knitting in the living room.

I felt myself start to worry. I grabbed my cell phone as I looked around the house. The first person I called was Tamaki. Zero considered him to be a father figure, so Zero would've told him if he were leaving.

"Ah, hello mommy! How are you?" Tamaki answered, practically spitting rainbows. "Tamaki, have you heard from Zero at all today?" I asked, looking under the bed. "Kyoya..." He said, the frown clear in his voice. "I'm coming over. We'll help you look for him."

I sighed, running my fingers through my hair. "No. Don't. I'll call you back if I hear anything." I sat on the floor and frowned. 'This is getting ridiculous.'

Where could he have gone? It's not like him to disappear without leaving a note or calling or even waiting until I get home for him to go out. I decided to send him a text message.

_To Zero-kun: I'm home and you're not. Where are you?_

An hour later, there was still no answer.

"Kyoya, come here." Tamaki said from the living room. I realized I had been sitting on the floor the whole time, waiting for Zero to reply. "We need to talk." He sighed.

I walked to the living room and realized Tamaki didn't come alone. Everyone was there. The twins, Haruhi, Takashi, Honey, and even Renge was there. "Have a seat, Kyoya."

I sat in the recliner that Zero loved so much. He liked that when I sat in it, he could curl up in my lap and we would read together, or I would read to him while he knitted. I sighed, putting my head in my hands. Why wasn't he here?

"Kyoya, there isn't a trace of Zero here…" Tamaki said, putting his hand on my shoulder. "Tell me something I don't know, Tamaki. We need to be out looking for him, not having a tea party in my living room." I growled, shaking his hand off.

"Did he leave a note or anything?" Honey asked, looking around for something I might have missed. "No. If he did, I wouldn't have called." I snapped at him, glaring at everyone in the room. "If you guys aren't going to help me look, then leave."

"Don't talk to us like that, Kyoya-senpai. We're just trying to help you out." Haruhi said, standing up. Over the years, she had gotten feisty and while Zero enjoyed her smart mouth, I didn't.

"My husband is missing and you guys aren't helping at all." I growled, my glare fixed on her. I couldn't believe them. "Out, all of you. I'll find him on my own."

Slowly, everyone left but Tamaki. Deep down, I knew he wouldn't leave. He was closer to Zero now than ever before.

"Kyoya, do you have any ideas as to where he would go?" Tamaki said, plopping down on the couch. I shook my head and paced the room, thinking of anywhere he could've gone.

Two more hours had passed and I had called over 43 people, asking if they had seen my husband. Each one said a different variation of 'no, is something wrong', to which I hung up.

"I'll get us something to drink." Tamaki said, walking to the kitchen. After a few minutes, Tamaki yelled for me.

"Kyoya! Kyoya! What's today!?" he yelled, running to me with the calendar from the fridge. "It's Monday." I glared at him. 'Why is he asking such a dumb question?' I thought as I dialed another number.

"The date, mommy. What's the date?" he questioned quietly, his eyes fixed on the calendar. "April 4. What's with the stupid questions? These aren't going to help us find Zero." I said, hanging up the phone. Another no. I ran my fingers through my hair in frustration. Between the consistent no's and Tamaki's senseless questions, I was about ready to lose my mind.

"Do you remember what April 4th is? When you do, you'll know where he is." He smiled at me before laying the calendar on the coffee table. "He's not going to answer you're texts or calls either." he said before he left.

I frowned as I looked at the calendar. "What's so important about today?" I asked myself.

An hour passed.

Then another.

And another.

What the hell was I forgetting?

It was now one in the morning. Zero hadn't answered a message or phone call, he hadn't come home, and I had no idea where he could be.

The house was quiet.

I hated it.

I laid on the couch, still staring at the calendar. The day was circled in purple, which meant it was something he marked. Why? What had happened on this day that would cause him to be gone all day? Tamaki obviously knew. He probably told the rest of the guys and now they wouldn't tell me.

I blame this forgetfulness on Zero. Ever since he made me get rid of my notebook, I was useless with dates. That's why we got the damned calendar. If it was something for him, it was circled in purple, for me it was circled in black, and for both of us it was circled in blue. In the back, there was a place for us to write down what each day was so we would know what it was circled for instead of writing it on the day. Of course, Zero always forgot to write back there so when I checked it, I was surprised.

_April 4__th__ – Visit Mona and Tsubaki, try not to stay late._

I instantly felt stupid. That explains why the house was quiet, why he couldn't find Zero, why there was no note, why he didn't answer his phone, and why Zero wasn't there at all.

How could I forget something so important?

Of course, April 4th wasn't when they passed. That was the day they had officially adopted him, the day he finally had a family. It was a special day to him and I had forgot it.

The clock blinked 1:34 and I stood up. I texted the group, apologizing for how I acted and told them I knew where Zero was. A handful of them said about time and the others didn't reply.

I went to the kitchen and grabbed the tub of ice cream out of the freezer. I made one bowl and sat in the recliner. I turned on _Lilo and Stitch _and waited for the door to open.

Soon enough, at 2:13, Zero quietly walked through the door. By then, the ice cream had melted and the movie was half over but I didn't care. He looked at me with a small smile, his voice barely above a whisper. "I'm sorry, Kyo-kun. I stayed too late." He put his coat on the hook and kicked his shoes towards the closet.

He went to the kitchen and made another bowl of ice cream before he made his way to the living room. He crawled into my lap and laid his head on my chest.

"Do you want me to restart it?" I asked, gently rubbing his back. He shook his head and took a bite of the ice cream. "No, this is fine."

When the movie ended, Zero looked at me and placed a kiss on my forehead. "I'm sorry I made you worry." He mumbled, leaning his forehead against mine. "I'm sorry I forgot." I mumbled back, kissing him softly. "I'll do better next time." I promised, placing his empty bowl on the side table before carrying him to bed.

Not long after we laid down, he was asleep. I stayed awake, watching him quietly.

I hate the quiet. I really do.

But with him beside me, it's a lot easier to handle.

**AN: I hope you guys enjoyed this oneshot. If you have any ideas for one, just message me. I'd love to write it for you. :)**


	19. Remedy (One Shot)

~Zero's POV~  
>I sighed as I looked around. Kyoya was taking down the crib and the twins were carrying pieces up to the attic. "I can't believe he's too big for his crib already! He must take after Haruhi." I smiled softly as Kaoru glared at me. "I'm pretty tall, thank you. I'm taller than her!" he grabbed a stuffed animal and tossed it at me.<br>"Yeah, but Haruhi grew really fast as a baby!" Tamaki yelled, bringing a latter up the stairs. "Tamaki-senpai, why do you have a latter..?" I asked, stepping to the side as Honey and Mori followed him with buckets of orange and green paint.  
>"Oliver said he was a big boy and wanted to paint his room." Haruhi said, carrying the five year old into the room once the crib and tools were removed. "He decided on orange and green…" Kaoru shuddered, looking away from them.<br>Obviously, Oliver got his sense of fashion from his mother.  
>Haruhi sighed and shook her head. "He's a kid, let him be creative." She put him down and he ran over to Tamaki, begging to be picked up. No one understood why he liked the blond so much.<br>I suspected it was because Tamaki always slipped him candy when no one was looking.  
>Tamaki picked him up and handing him a paint brush covered in green paint. "Paint the world, little one!" Oliver smiled, thrashing the brush on the wall. We all watched with grins as the boy painted.<br>"Are you drawing anything special?" I asked, walking over to them. Oliver started to struggle against Tamaki and he sat him down. Oliver smiled up at me and took my hand. "I'm painting for Remy." He whispered, his smile turning into a bright grin.  
>I stared at him with my eyes wide. "F… For Remy? How sweet…" I whispered back, kissing his forehead. "I'm sure she'll love it. How about I help you?" I sat next to him, grabbing the orange paint.<br>~Kyoya's POV~  
>"I'm painting for Remy." Oliver said quietly. The room grew cold. I watched as Zero went stiff. "F… For Remy? How sweet…" his voice shook. "I'm sure she'll love it. How about I help you?" I watched as he sat next to Oliver and helped him paint. I leaned against the wall quietly and everyone watched the two paint.<br>"Did you tell him to do that?" I asked Haruhi and Kaoru, looking at them slightly but keeping my focus on my husband. "No, we didn't." Haruhi started as she watched the two on the floor. Everyone noticed how Zero's ears were flat against his head and how his tail rested on his lap.  
>"He just said that he wanted to paint his room. That he wanted it to be pretty." Kaoru said, wrapping his arms around Haruhi causing her to lean against him. They both watched their son as he painted with Zero.<br>We watched as Oliver climbed into Zero's lap and put his hands on his cheeks.  
>"Don't cry Zeze. It's okay." He said, pushing his cheeks up into a smile. "Remy is happy now." He smiled, kissing Zeros nose like his parents had done plenty of times for him when he was upset.<br>That caused Zero to break down into tears. Oliver's smile started to fade and, in true kid fashion, he started to cry. Haruhi and I rushed over, each grabbing our reasons for joy and cradled them. Kaoru came over and tried to calm Oliver down while Honey came and tried to help soothe Zero.  
>Remedy a girl who lived with Zero back at the orphanage. She was the one who broke all the windows in our limo. Even when Zero was in the United Kingdom, he kept in contact with her. She was his little sister through and through. Five years ago, she helped Haruhi give birth to Oliver in an intense snow storm. They were trapped in the subway when Haruhi's water broke. Due to that, she was Oliver's Godmother. She loved Oliver like her own son.<br>A year ago, she was rushed to the hospital for breathing troubles. The doctors found a softball sized tumor on her lung.  
>She passed away a week after they found it.<br>We all took the news hard but no one took it harder than Zero. For months afterwards, he wouldn't eat or play music. He had fallen into a deep depression, deeper than any of us had ever seen.  
>He never truly came out of it but he got better. He started eating, he picked up his guitar again, and he was able to play without crying. The music he played was still depressing to this day.<br>I rubbed his back as he sobbed. The others left the room as I rocked him. Before they closed the door, Oliver ran over to us. His face was red from crying and he wiped his eyes, tugging Zero's hand.  
>"I'm sorry for making you sad." He apologized, holding Zero's hand tightly. "But Remy wouldn't want you to cry. Cry baby." He slapped Zeros hand lightly and Zero looked up at him.<br>I glared at the kid. What right did he have to call Zero a cry baby when he cried over spilled milk! "Cry baby!" he said again, pulling at Zero's ears.  
>I don't believe in child abuse. I don't. I think it's wrong and you shouldn't hurt a child out of anger. But in that moment, I was ready to punt that little bastard across the room.<br>I was about to rip him a new one when I heard Zero giggle.  
>I looked at him and his giggle turned into a laugh.<br>To say I was confused would be an understatement. I knew from personal experience that him laughing in times of distress were never good. Maybe it was a psychotic break?  
>Maybe he was losing his mind?<br>Maybe I really should kick this kid across the room?  
>"Remedy would call me that all the time. I would cry about the stupidest things…" He said, patting Oliver on the head. "I'm done crying now. I promise. I won't be a cry baby anymore." He promised, smiling at the boy.<br>A few hours later, Zero and I found ourselves cuddling in bed. I ran my fingers through his hair, lightly scratching behind his ears. "Kyo-kun…" he said, rubbing my chest in small, soft circles. "Yes my love?"  
>"I'm not over it." He started. "I'm not over losing her yet. I don't want to be. I don't want her to be just a memory that I'll forget." He confessed, looking up at me. "I don't want to feel anything. I don't want to be happy knowing that she can't smile anymore. I don't want to be sad knowing she can't cry anymore. I don't want to make jokes because she can't laugh. I don't want to play music anymore because she's not here to hear it."<br>"It's not fair. It's not fair that this happened to her." He hid his face in my neck. I felt the tears fall from his eyes and I frowned, holding him tighter. "You really are a cry baby." I said, playing with his hair as he cried. "You promised Oliver that you wouldn't cry anymore." I sat up slowly, pulling him into my lap.  
>"Listen to me Zero. You won't forget her. The whole time you were away, you thought of her didn't you? You will always think about her. Smile because she can't, cry because she can't, laugh because she can't, and write songs for her. She's in everything you do, Zero-chan. You just have to remember that. In a way, she'll be your remedy for the pain."<p>

**_Remedy_****_ – _****_1, noun; a medicine or treatment for disease or injury, 2, verb; set right_**

**AN: Okay guys. I hope you enjoyed this one. If you have any ideas, be sure to message me. I'd love to write one for you.**


	20. So, This Is It? (One Shot)

~Kyoya POV~

I sat in my study as I worked on a proposal for work. We were to be adding a new wing to the hospital and it would shut down half the building during the time of construction.

"Kyo-kun, you should come eat dinner." Zero murmured from the door way. I waved him off and kept working. This needed to be finished before tomorrow. I had wasted more than enough time when I should've been working on it.

I heard him sigh and leave the room. I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes. A few seconds later, he came back into the room. I peaked my eye open and saw him carrying a glass of what was either apple juice or gin. I didn't particularly care, to be honest.

He stood behind me and took a sip of it, looking down at me. "Don't bring that over here. You know how clumsy you can be. I don't want you spilling it on my computer. I'm almost done with this." I said, sitting up again.

"D… Does that mean you'll come to dinner soon…?" he asked, his voice quiet. I shrugged quickly, focusing on the screen. "Just eat without me. It's fine." I said, typing away. I needed to finish this.

What happened next was either on purpose or on purpose, there's no way around it.

Zero sat his glass down next to the computer and it was _somehow_ knocked over. Whatever was in the glass spilled all over the computer, causing the screen to go black and the laptop to start sparking.

I heard him mutter a quiet 'oops' before he ran off to get a towel. I sat there for a second, staring at the computer. There was no way I could get this fixed tonight and it would be almost impossible to start over from scratch.

It would be late.

I hate late.

I snatched the towel from him and glared at him. "Get out." I said, looking into his eyes. "I… I was just trying to help…" he stuttered, looking at the computer. "I… I'll get it fixed. Don't worry." He reached for the computer and I snapped. Maybe it was the stress, maybe it's because he didn't listen to me, or maybe it was the lack of sleep. I don't know. But I lost it.

I had had enough.

"Why can't you just listen to me for once in your pathetic life?! I told you not to bring it over here and what do you do? You bring it anyways! You can't fix this computer! It's completely fired thanks to your idiocy. Jesus, what's wrong with you? Is it that fucking hard to follow directions? Or can you not hear!? God. Just get the fuck out of my study."

"K… Kyoya I'm sorry. I didn't…" I cut him off. "Of course you didn't mean to! I mean, why else would you come in here other than to sabotage my work, huh? God, just get lost already."

"I… I just wanted…" he said, looking down at the floor. "I SAID GET LOST!" I screamed, making him jump back from me and move towards the door. I grabbed the now empty glass and threw it at the wall by his head, causing it to shatter. He covered his head and shrunk down to the floor.

I stared at him. "You're lucky I missed. Now get out! You've already ruined my job, what else are you going to ruin!?"

I'll admit, I don't know what the Hell I was thinking in those moments, but I kept up with it.

"God, you're a serious waste of space. Just get lost already." I mumbled, turning back to the broken computer. "You can't do anything right."

The room was quiet. I half expected to hear Zero crying, to hear him calling me mean or arguing back with me.

This isn't the first time we've argued like this. I mean, it's the first time I've said most of those things. But it's the first he hasn't said anything.

I looked back at him and I frowned.

There he was, sitting still on the floor, shaking with broken glass around his feet. I sighed and shook my head, standing up. "Zero, get up." He didn't move. "You're going to get hurt. Move so I can sweep it up."

Again, he didn't move.

"I'm sorry I ruined your work." He said, standing up shakily. I reached out to steady him and he moved away. I wasn't surprised. He was more than likely upset with me like I was with him.

"Just move so I can sweep up this mess." I said, offering my hand. I had planned to pull him over the glass but he declined, jumping over it instead.

He walked out, leaving the door open. I followed him silently and, for the first time that day, was speechless.

The hallway glowed a sickly pink, almost like Pepto-Bismol and smelled like roses. Zero walked to the bedroom, closing the door behind him.

I made my way to the living room and stopped. Steak, chocolate covered strawberries, champagne, a blanket, and a picnic basket sat out on the living room floor. I frowned.

"What's this for?" I yelled, walking around it. Light pink roses were on the blanket, each one with a piece of paper tied to it. "Zero! What is all of this?!" I yelled again, waiting for an answer.

"Happy Valentine's Day." I heard him say, his voice barely above a whisper. "You were so wrapped up in work that you missed it, three days ago. I figured I could do this, since you wouldn't have to leave the house and after you could go straight back to work. But… But I can't do anything right. I even messed this up. Surprising right." His voice broke, making me look over at him.

In one hand he had his jacket, in the other he had a suit case.

"Where are you going?" I asked him, staring him down. "I'm getting lost, like you wanted." He said, walking towards the door. "I can't do this anymore, Kyoya… We're fighting all the time now. You're never here and when you are, you're working. There's never any time for us anymore. And tonight… tonight was the last straw. It's either me or your work and it seems like you've already chosen." He slipped on his shoes and sat his phone on the table.

"When you decide I'm more important, you know where I'll be." And with that, he walked out of the door.

Did I go after him? Of course not, because I'm an idiot.

I just stared at the door. He was leaving.

He was really leaving.

I sat on the couch silently. He left his phone, I can't call him to come back.

I bit my lip and stared at the floor. Why was I such an asshole? Everything I had said to him started to play in my head and I wondered why he hadn't left before.

I had called him pathetic, told him to get lost, I even forgot Valentine's Day. What he said was true, I had put my work in front of him. I always chose it over him.

Memories started to flash in my head of when I had showed up late for dinner with him, or left in the middle of a dinner, or didn't come home, or came home drunk.

I was the worst. It's amazing he stayed as long as he did.

And tonight was the last tick on the bomb that was his patience.

I closed my eyes and all I could see was the look in his eyes, vacant and void of any emotion.

I had just single-handedly ruined a 25 year relationship in a matter of minutes.

Way to go Kyoya, that's gotta be a record.


	21. Take The Couch With You

~Kyoya POV~

People romanticize the rain.

They make is sound like a beautiful thing but what if that's all you've experienced for the past three months? What if the only thing in your life was rain? Wouldn't you miss the sunshine?

I did.

I missed my sunshine.

And that's how we ended up here outside of Tamaki's summer house, soaked to the bone. I had been here for hours but couldn't bring myself to ring the doorbell.

I frowned and leaned against the door slightly. "Why am I even here?" I asked myself. "If he wanted to see me, he would've came to me." I sighed softly, looking up at the door as memories flooded my mind.

I shook my head slightly and sucked in a breath. "Okay Kyoya. It's simple. Just knock on the door and apologize."

And that's what I tried to do. I knocked on the door and when Zero answered, I froze.

Somewhere in my mind, I begged the gods that he wouldn't answer. Maybe he would be out like the other times I showed up. Maybe he would answer and then slam the door in my face. Hell, maybe he would just watch me from the window.

But no, luck wasn't on my side.

There he stood in all his glory. He wore one of my grey sweaters that was clearly too big for him, a simple pair of jeans, and his glasses sat on the bridge of his nose. His hair was messy, like he had ran his fingers through it multiple times. His eyes barely focused on mine before a glare replaced his tired eyes.

"Math?" I questioned, pushing my wet hair out of my face. He nodded slightly, his arms now crossing over his chest.

"You're soaked." He stated, looking me up and down. I smiled slightly as I caught sight of his tail swaying back and forth behind him and his ears perking up slightly. Thunder sounded loudly in the sky followed by the crack of lightening making us both jump. He moved aside slightly and kept his eyes on mine. "Come on. It's going to storm the rest of night." I moved in slowly and stopped in the door way. "I'll get you a towel."

I waited until he came back before pulling off my shirt and pants. I took the towel to my hair first and then the rest of my body. "You know where the extra clothes are." Zero said before returning to the work place he had set up in the living room.

I walked past him to go the spare bedroom. Once I had dressed I walked back to him and sat on the couch opposite of him.

I loved watching him work, I truly did. It was just like in high school, only he was actually doing the work. He bit the side of his pencil when he was confused and played with the end of his tail as he worked it out. When he finally figured it out, a smirk graced his lips and he wrote it down.

"You know, it's rude to stare." He said, his face contorted into confusion at the problem he was working on. "It's also rude to ignore someone for three months." I retaliated, leaning back into my seat.

I'm going to guess he was still angry with the way he slammed his pencil down. A fire lit behind his eyes and he glared at me.

"Don't talk to me about ignoring someone, Kyoya." I flinched slightly when he spat my name. "You had been ignoring me for much longer."

"I sense you're angry."

"Angry? No, I'm not angry Kyoya. I'm hurt! You're lucky the weather is bad or I never would've let you in here!" he said, his voice shaking. I watched as his tail wrapped around his waist and his ears go flat against his hair.

"That's what I want to talk to you about, Zero-chan." I said, moving over to him. I put my hand on his knee slightly. "I want to talk about us."

Another crack of lightening and round of thunder shook the house. "There's nothing to talk about. You made your choice." He muttered, turning his body away from me. "You waited three months, Kyoya. Three…" his voice grew softer.

"I thought you needed time, love. I would've gone after you. I swear it. But I really thought you needed time, that when you were ready to talk to me you would call or something. I didn't want to push you away even more." I said, moving to kneel in front of him.

"Listen to me, Zero." My eyes met his and a grabbed his hands in mine. "I don't deserve your forgiveness. I never have and I never will. I'm sorry for how I've been treating you. I've been putting work first and ignoring you not only as my husband, but as my best friend. It wasn't right for me to snap on you and I didn't mean a thing that I said that night. You mean so much to me. I don't know what I would do if I lost you again. These three months have been hell for me.

This rain never stops when you're gone, you know that? It's always dark and cold and lonely without you. You're my sunshine, you know. Being with you is the best part of being alive. You're my first thought in the morning and my last at night. I'm asked constantly how am I doing and I can't even say fine. I just shrug. I'm not the same without you Zero. I'm just not. You're like my other half but you're more than that. You're more than half of me. Every part of me belongs with you, Zero. I don't know how much more I can take being away from you.

I pulled back on my work at the hospital. I'm not even working half as much as when you were with me. I'll quit completely if that means you'll come back. If it means you'll come back, I'll never work a day in my life. I got rid of the home office too. I made it into a movie room for us when he have company over or if you want to have a movie night or something. We can change it to whatever you want when you come back. We can even get a dog and make it their bedroom if that's what you want.

I need you Zero. I need you to come home. I miss you. I miss the way you refuse to wake up in the morning unless I give you a kiss. I miss the way you curl up in a ball when I have to go for work and how you never beg me to stay but your tail wraps around my leg. I miss how you like to cuddle during movies and how you'd make dinner for us on weekends. I miss how we would take walks around the park and feed the birds. I miss how you would hold my hand when someone would look at us. I miss how your breath feels against my neck when you're sleeping. I miss you waking me up in the middle of the night just to ask me a question about your dream. But most of all, I miss you. I miss being with you." I put my head in his lap and closed my eyes. I felt him staring at me. His eyes pierced my back like a knife and there was nothing I could do but wait for him to say something.

People romanticize the rain.

There's nothing romantic about listening to the rain while you're husband decides on if he's going to take you back or not. Let me tell you that now.

I stayed there with my head on his lap for hours before he spoke up.

"You changed, Kyoya. You aren't the man I fell in love with." He said, lifting my head to look him in the eye. "You put work in front of me and that hurt me. That hurt more than I could ever express to you." He placed a small kiss on my forehead.

"I forgive you and I want to work this out. I'm not giving up on us just because you didn't understand what you were doing." He smiled softly, his lips brushing mine softly. "And for the record, I missed you too."

Slowly the rain came to an end and we found ourselves naked on the couch. I placed a kiss on his shoulder and he smiled, moving closer to me. "You know, I was only mad for about a week." Zero said, leaning his head into my hand as I ran my fingers through his hair.

"A week? Then why didn't you come home to me?" I smiled slightly and looked at his face. His eyes were still closed and a thin layer of sweat laid on his face. "I wanted to give you a little pay back." He said softly, now a frown on his face. "It was stupid, now that I think about it."

I laughed softly, kissing his ear. "Its fine, love."

"So, I take it you're going home now?" a voice sounded from the door way. Zero turned a bright shade of red and hid in my chest as I looked at Tamaki. "Yeah, we'll be leaving after we take a nap."

"Take the couch with you."


	22. Untitled

I hated this chapter. I couldn't think of anything but I wanted to write something. I'm sorry guys. It's garbage. That's why it's untitled. It's all over the place. I'm just, ugh.

Zero's POV

The room went silent as Kyoya stood. He did little to hide the anger on his face. "Uh oh." Tamaki said, standing next to his friend. I stared at my husband, a smile on my face. "I told you this would happen one day. I told you."

He glared at me, his face slowly becoming red. The rest of the club decided it would be best to excuse themselves for a minute, running into the hallway. "Why..?" Kyoya said, his voice shaking slightly. "How? When did you have the time…?"

"I lied about going to classes. Did you really think I was going to learn about computers at night?" I smirked, my arms crossed over my chest as I leaned back in my chair.

"So, you've been lying to my face for the past 6 months?" His words cold and harsh, his eyes just the same. My smirk stayed put on my face. "It's not my fault you didn't realize it. I thought you knew me." I said, staring into his eyes.

"You know that I hate math and computers. Why would I take a class about them?" I giggled slightly, my tail slowly swaying behind me in anticipation.

"I beat you at your own game, Kyoya. Just admit it. It's checkmate." Tamaki walked in slowly, his hands raised slightly. "Kyoya, you lost. It's okay." He said, standing next to me.

"Checkmate." He mumbled, falling back into his chair. The rest of the group came in slowly, still keeping their distance from us.

"I can't believe it. You beat me. You really beat me." His words hollow and empty as he stared at the board.

I had beat him in chess. Yes.

I, Zero Ootori, beat Kyoya Ootori in a game of chess.

"I joined a chess club instead of going to those stupid classes. So technically, I was still taking classes." I said, walking over to him. "I just wanted to beat you one time." I kissed his forehead softly.

He looked up at me, a frown still on his face. I placed a kiss on his lips before turning to everyone else.

"You guys might want to leave. Kyoya is about to get out of character and unless you want to see the cuddly side of my little teddy bear, I suggest you get out of here." I said, smiling at them slightly as Kyoya put one of his fingers through the belt loop of my pants before pulling me into his lap.

This is how he gets anytime he loses and everyone knows it. Whether it be in a game like this or something important. The group said their goodbyes and made plans to meet up in a few days for dinner.

I smiled when his lips touched my neck. "You didn't have to do that." I said, turning to him. A smirk was planted on his face. "If you wanted everyone to leave, you just had to say so. I'm sure they would've understood."

"I wanted them to see you win." He said, nuzzling my neck slightly. "I want a rematch. I'll win next time, for real."


End file.
